Dortmund Plans Soccer Games With 16,000 Fans in Virus Workaround

(Bloomberg) -- German soccer club Borussia Dortmund is exploring plans to admit up to 16,000 fans to home games starting next month, while maintaining measures aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus.

Dortmund, the Bundesliga’s second-most successful side, aims to fill up to 20% of its usual capacity, leaving empty every other row plus two seats to the left and right of each one occupied, unless families are sat together. Face masks must be worn everywhere except at the seat, and no standing will be allowed.

The plan aims to maintain social distancing throughout the journey to and from the match, and fans will be given a time window during which to enter the stadium via a specific gate, according to a presentation. All attendees would have to provide contact information so that they could be traced if necessary.

The proposals provide a glimpse into what major events may look like in coming months. Soccer and some other sports have generally resumed contests without an audience following the easing of lockdowns, wiping out lucrative ticket revenue and prompting television companies to pipe in crowd noise to make up for a lack of atmosphere.

The Dortmund blueprint, based on guidelines set out by Germany’s DFL soccer-club association, faces scrutiny by the city’s local health authorities before the Bundesliga’s top league resumes matches on Sept. 18.

England’s Premier League had been mulling plans for a return of fans in October, but a spike in Covid-19 infection rates in some towns has made that unlikely, while also leading to the cancellation of trials involving crowds in cricket and horse racing. The World Snooker Championship in Sheffield let people in for just one day before having to close its doors again.

Shares of Borussia Dortmund, Germany’s only listed top-flight club, have declined 35% this year. It gets 10% of revenue from match-day revenue, based on data from the 2018-2019 season.

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